Leeds United 2 Blackpool 0: match report

Read a full match report of the Championship game between Leeds United and
Blackpool at Elland Road on Wednesday Feb 20, 2013.

The subplot here illustrated the transient nature of modern football management. Taking charge of Blackpool for the first time was Paul Ince, the fourth person to hold the role in as many months.

He has observed Blackpool many times over the past two seasons owing to the presence at the club of his son Thomas, who has been operating well as the team’s right or left winger.

Yet the performances of Ince junior have been one of the few positives in recent times and this defeat should give his father a more acute understanding of why Blackpool have slumped so drastically following their best start to a campaign in more than half a century.

A year ago this week Neil Warnock took charge of Leeds for the first time. His position is now uncertain, with owners GFH Capital yesterday answering curtly in an email correspondence with the Yorkshire Evening Post to a question about the 64-year-old’s future. “As you know his ­contract expires at the end of this season,” GFH responded, perhaps ominously.

Warnock has publically admitted he will not be the Leeds manager next season if he fails to achieve promotion. That Leeds were closer to the Championship’s relegation zone than the play-offs before this match, ­having slipped from eighth position on New Year’s Day, indicates that the Premier League is a moderately likely prospect at best.

The touchline manners of both managers revealed the different levels of pressure on them. While Ince sat in his dugout, seemingly content to analyse quietly the performances of the Blackpool players, leaving most of the in-game organising to assistant Alex Rae, Warnock spent the entire 90 minutes trying to cajole his team from the technical area.

That is nothing new for Warnock, a manager who plays every game through his players, but there was an added sense of frustration when events seemed to conspire against Leeds; when Steve Morison’s shot after a powerful run was cleared right on the goal-line by Craig Cathcart; or when Kirk Broadfoot’s mess of a clearance rebounded off goalkeeper Matthew Gilks instead of giving the hosts the lead. On each occasion, Warnock hunched over the ground.

Over the last month, whenever Leeds have gone behind – or after defeats – supporters have called for Warnock to depart. He appreciated, then, that taking control early would help get home fans on-side. That did not happen. Despite being scoreless at the break, though, the opening half was entertaining. After Ross McCormack forced Blackpool keeper Gilks into another save, Blackpool had two notable efforts on Paddy Kenny’s goal. On each occasion, Kenny had to be at full stretch, first to deny Ludovic ­Sylvestre and then Matt Phillips.

Leeds began the second period with more purpose and Luke Varney hit a post. Blackpool were undone when David Norris marked his 400th professional league appearance with a goal.

Morison soon secured the win, thumping in following a risky swipe across his own box by Stephen Crainey, the former Leeds left-back.